In the 1800′s people on the Isle of Man ate a bread called Bonnag.
It’s a simple, yet tasty bread. It had to be simple really – there weren’t a lot of kitchen conveniences on the Island in the 1800′s.

It’s made with buttermilk though.
Apparently the Manx farmer families would drink Buttermilk straight.
Wanting to make some Bonnag sometime soon I bought some Buttermilk and tried it.. straight…as soon as I got home. I don’t know how ‘my people’ did it! it’s sooo rank tasting!

Right now I’m at the Dispatch desk, working a 11pm – 7am shift.
I thought i was working this later in the week and had planed accordingly. I found out by chance that it was tonight and the new kinda threw my week for a loop.

It’s ok though, it’s 0230 and I’m not dragging too badly. Batman (the one with Jim Carey) is on TV and I have a can of Red Bull left and some Rice stuff to eat.

There’s something about early, early mornings. The still and the general….lifelessness of the peace and quiet that comes, at times, in the small hours of a morning.

It doesn’t seem to matter where I am or what I’m doing, there always seems to be times, at this time of day that remind me of overnight Ferry Crossings.

As a child I would travel to Liverpool (UK) regularly for various things and, more often than not, the most convenient crossing to board back to the Island was the late night crossing, leaving Liverpool (or Heysham) at around 11pm (or after) and getting to the Island around 6am.

Maybe those crossings have been my earliest experiences of very early mornings, thus my association with everything thereafter.
Maybe it’s the pleasant thought of being on a Ferry, on the Irish sea, with the hum of the engines, the sound of the sea and the still and quiet of everyone around you either quietly going about their business or trying to sleep.

Still, I’m not complaining, it’s not a bad thing and it’s sometimes nice to reminisce.

Around the coast of the United Kingdom there are volunteer lifeboat stations (of course there are a number of the Isle of Man). Whenever there are emergencies at sea the lifeboats go out to do whatever is needed.

Most stations have the boat launch from the boathouse down a ramp into the water. (see videos after the jump)